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Business Continuity – Are You Prepared?

The ability to continue operations regardless of any minor or major incident is becoming increasingly important to businesses.

Studies show that two out of five businesses that experience a disaster will go out of business within five years of the event.

Have you thought about the certain aspects of your business that are imperative to its day to day running? Your people, technology, stock and even your offices – could you continue operating if the unexpected was to occur?

Having a business continuity plan in place

A successful business continuity plan evaluates these elements and helps you establish a structured response to minimise any disruption to the organisation.

Disruptions could be as small as a member of staff having to leave the business, to an IT failure, to a flood or fire affecting your premises.

Any delays could negatively impact your relationships with clients, decrease trust within these partnerships, and ultimately could lead to them turning to a competitor.

It’s all about minimising the risks to these critical elements and having processes in place to ensure you are back up and running as soon as possible. But first you have to understand what these vital aspects are, and identify the risks to these activities.

What are your vital products and services? ­

What are the critical activities and resources required to deliver these products and services? ­

What are the risks to these critical activities? ­

How will you maintain these critical activities in the event of an incident (loss of access to premises, loss of equipment, loss of key staff etc.)?

Understanding these key factors and having a business continuity plan is a necessary part of establishing a comprehensive disaster recovery plan. This plan should then include an initial response, as well as longer term planning.

Your response planning should include separate plans for different scenarios, an analysis of your current resource and staff education plans.

And don’t forget your communication strategy with both internal and external staff, wider stakeholders and, if necessary, the media/social media.

What could I have in place to help me manage these risks?

Proven to bring business benefits such as an increased ability to deliver service to customers in adverse conditions, increased staff competency through enhanced process and procedures and reduce customer risk, the ISO 22301 covers the requirements for a robust business continuity management system.

Obtaining the ISO 22301 Business Continuity Management certification proves to your stakeholders and customers you have the ability to continue operating during adverse conditions, giving them peace of mind that you are a reliable supplier.

Help safeguard the future of your business and ensure control is maintained at all times. By implementing an ISO Management System with a company like ours, your planning and risk management activities are externally audited at regular intervals.

To find out more about a business continuity management system, or any of the other popular ISO Standards, come along to our free coffee, cake and consultancy open day on Tuesday 22nd November at our offices in St Johns, Worcester.

Our experienced auditors will be on hand on the day, offering 1 hour’s free consultancy – the perfect opportunity to explore an ISO management system, or if you are already running to a standard, discuss new ideas to develop your processes even further. To book a place please email clientservices@isoqsltd.com and indicate if you would prefer a morning or afternoon slot.